AIR 2025: André 3000, New Blue Sun
BUY TICKETSJuly 31 @ 8:00 pm
RSVPs for this event have reached capacity.
We’re thrilled about the enthusiasm for André 3000’s New Blue Sun co-presented by Aspen Art Museum and the Wheeler Opera House! At this time, RSVPs are closed. Additional tickets may become available in the coming weeks – please check back for updates. Thank you for your understanding.
André 3000 brings to AIR a live performance of his Grammy-nominated album New Blue Sun. Joined on the Wheeler Opera House stage by multi-instrumentalists Carlos Niño and Nate Mercereau, keyboardist Surya Botofasina, and percussionist Deantoni Parks, André 3000 performs a myriad of flutes from around the world in a set featuring both acoustic and electronic instrumentation. Like the formation of the album itself, New Blue Sun LIVE is largely free-form, drawing inspiration from the present moment and the surroundings of each performance to create immersive, exploratory sonic experiences.
André Benjamin—best known as André 3000—is one of the most revered, celebrated artists of the last three decades, an auteur whose work in music, film, fine arts, fashion, and more continues to influence the cultural landscape on a global scale. His work as one half of the iconic hip-hop duo Outkast, with Anton “Big Boi” Patton, established a brand-new voice and style within rap that had never been experienced before. The nine-time Grammy-winning artist released his first solo album in 20 years this past November—New Blue Sun, a wind focused, instrumental album that represents the next step in André’s creative evolution. Released to widespread critical acclaim, New Blue Sun became the first instrumental album to land on the Billboard Top 200 Chart, and the opening track “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time,” broke the record for longest song to debut on the Billboard Hot 100. It was nominated for 3 Grammy Awards in 2025, including “Album of the Year.”
New Blue Sun is curated by Eliza Ryan, Curator at Large.
New Blue Sun is co-presented by Aspen Art Museum and the City of Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House.
New Blue Sun is made possible through a generous gift from Steve Tisch and Jamie Tisch.
Co-presented with the City of Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House
About AIR
AIR, Aspen Art Museum’s new flagship initiative, is designed to explore the role of art in addressing the questions and complexities of our time through interdisciplinary collaborations, conversations, and site-specific artworks and performances. Established as a year-round program dedicated to commissioning and artistic research, AIR culminates each summer with dedicated programming. These gatherings celebrate the ways in which artists redefine leadership and expand our consciousness. Learn more at airaspen.org.
INVESTING IN ARTISTS AS LEADERS
The Aspen Art Museum is committed to supporting artists across generations as they shape the future. We believe artists are—and have always been—visionaries and leaders. This new program is designed to empower those who want to connect, innovate, and lead by providing them with the necessary skills, tools, and resources, as well as a cohort to lean on.
AIR 2025 is presented in partnership with Aspen Institute, Serpentine, Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation, as a part of their Creative Labor, Creative Conditions campaign, Aspen Music Festival & School, and City of Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House, with Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES), Aspen Center for Physics, Red Brick Center for the Arts, and Jazz Aspen Snowmass, Aspen Words, and Aspen Film.
We’re thrilled about the enthusiasm for André 3000’s New Blue Sun co-presented by Aspen Art Museum and the Wheeler Opera House! At this time, RSVPs are closed. Additional tickets may become available in the coming weeks – please check back for updates. Thank you for your understanding.
André 3000 brings to AIR a live performance of his Grammy-nominated album New Blue Sun. Joined on the Wheeler Opera House stage by multi-instrumentalists Carlos Niño and Nate Mercereau, keyboardist Surya Botofasina, and percussionist Deantoni Parks, André 3000 performs a myriad of flutes from around the world in a set featuring both acoustic and electronic instrumentation. Like the formation of the album itself, New Blue Sun LIVE is largely free-form, drawing inspiration from the present moment and the surroundings of each performance to create immersive, exploratory sonic experiences.
André Benjamin—best known as André 3000—is one of the most revered, celebrated artists of the last three decades, an auteur whose work in music, film, fine arts, fashion, and more continues to influence the cultural landscape on a global scale. His work as one half of the iconic hip-hop duo Outkast, with Anton “Big Boi” Patton, established a brand-new voice and style within rap that had never been experienced before. The nine-time Grammy-winning artist released his first solo album in 20 years this past November—New Blue Sun, a wind focused, instrumental album that represents the next step in André’s creative evolution. Released to widespread critical acclaim, New Blue Sun became the first instrumental album to land on the Billboard Top 200 Chart, and the opening track “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time,” broke the record for longest song to debut on the Billboard Hot 100. It was nominated for 3 Grammy Awards in 2025, including “Album of the Year.”
New Blue Sun is curated by Eliza Ryan, Curator at Large.
New Blue Sun is co-presented by Aspen Art Museum and the City of Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House.
New Blue Sun is made possible through a generous gift from Steve Tisch and Jamie Tisch.
Co-presented with the City of Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House
About AIR
AIR, Aspen Art Museum’s new flagship initiative, is designed to explore the role of art in addressing the questions and complexities of our time through interdisciplinary collaborations, conversations, and site-specific artworks and performances. Established as a year-round program dedicated to commissioning and artistic research, AIR culminates each summer with dedicated programming. These gatherings celebrate the ways in which artists redefine leadership and expand our consciousness. Learn more at airaspen.org.
INVESTING IN ARTISTS AS LEADERS
The Aspen Art Museum is committed to supporting artists across generations as they shape the future. We believe artists are—and have always been—visionaries and leaders. This new program is designed to empower those who want to connect, innovate, and lead by providing them with the necessary skills, tools, and resources, as well as a cohort to lean on.
AIR 2025 is presented in partnership with Aspen Institute, Serpentine, Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation, as a part of their Creative Labor, Creative Conditions campaign, Aspen Music Festival & School, and City of Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House, with Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES), Aspen Center for Physics, Red Brick Center for the Arts, and Jazz Aspen Snowmass, Aspen Words, and Aspen Film.